The Incubator

Europe's First Music Tech Incubator

Founded in 2015, Abbey Road Red takes its name from EMI’s Record Engineering Development Department (REDD), whose men in white coats created the blueprint for the first modern recording consoles amongst countless other innovations seen at the studios, including the invention of stereo in 1933, Artificial Double Tracking (ADT) and more.We want to find and nurture inventors and early stage businesses who we think will introduce the next generation of universally adopted technologies into the music business, in the same way our predecessors did.

Abbey Road Red is a highly regarded and hugely successful incubation programme. Since our launch three years ago we have incubated 13 businesses, which between them have raised more than $25m and have a collective valuation of more than $100m. We’ve had media acclaim from the BBC and Sky to Wired, The FT, The Guardian and Forbes. Most importantly we have supported and helped our start-ups to break through the boundaries of what is currently expected, possible and imaginable in the industry we love and serve.

How We Can Help

We provide a unique and bespoke programme, tailored precisely to the needs of our start-ups. We have a developmental toolset that is unparalleled by any other programme, from the depth and breadth of our expertise and network; access to the studios and leading industry facilities; access to finance and much more.

Red is run by a dedicated team at Abbey Road Studios, hand-picked for their leading expertise, drive and network in music technology and the music business. They sit alongside the Studios’ management team and an 11-strong board, comprising senior management executives from both the Studios and Universal Music Group. Add to that our large dedicated mentor network, unparalleled access to other major and independent labels, publishers and music companies, research relationships with academia and access to finance, and we have a powerhouse of advisors and business connections ready to quickly take our incubated businesses to the next stage of growth. The icons below indicate how we can help your start-up reach and go beyond its potential. Interested in finding out more about how we can support your business?

"Prior to meeting the Red team, we consistently turned down any incubation offers. We decided to make an exception, and it was the best decision we could take! The programme provided invaluable help throughout fundraising, soft landing in the UK and integrating spatial audio with our immersive projection system. We know we can always count on the insight and advice of our friends at Abbey Road Red."

Gabriel LecupPartnerships, Broomx Technologies(Barcelona, Spain)

“We were able to draw from Red’s knowledge of the music industry and connect with Universal Music UK for the development of our ‘Auto Lyric Video Creation Tool’. The tool was eventually used to create lyric videos for Culture Club, Billie Eilish and others. Abbey Road is an amazing place for music tech enthusiasts, we have found friends for life here!"

Jin SaitoFounder & CEO, COTODAMA(Tokyo, Japan)

“We had an incredible experience during our incubation with Abbey Road Red. The team is not only intelligent, informed and well connected, but also warm, nurturing and they genuinely care about progressing your business. They provided us with valuable business insight, guidance and connections that, without doubt, helped the business mature and become even more attractive to investors.”

Paul SampsonFounder & CEO, Lickd(London, UK)

Current Startups

Previous Startups

The Board

The Abbey Road Red board includes leading executives from across Abbey Road Studios and its parent company Universal Music.

Red Mentors

In addition to the board, Abbey Road Red has an extensive team of mentors and contributors with a wide range of skills from across Abbey Road, Universal Music and the wider music industries, meaning all our collaborations are genuinely bespoke. We are proud to list our first set of official mentors below, who we work very closely with to help nurture our businesses and help take them to the next level.

Programme Benefits

Finance Network

Contact Us

Karim Fanous

Innovation Manager

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Abbey Road Studios

3 Abbey Road
London
NW8 9AY
UK

Please note that Abbey Road is a working studio and business and as such, is not open to the general public for visits or tours.For information on vacancies and internships in the UK, please visit the Universal Music website.